Manually-controlled firing means

ABSTRACT

MANUALLY-CONTROLLED FIRING MEANS HAVING A STRIKER WHICH IS SLIDABLE IN A BODY AND CAPABLE OF STRIKING A PRIMER UNDER THE EFFECT OF A SPRING. STOP MEANS ARE PROVIDED ON THE STRIKER AND AN ARM PIVOTED TO THE BODY CO-OPERATES WITH THE STOP MEANS FOR HOLDING THE STRIKER AWAY FROM THE PRIMER. A LEVER PIVOTED TO THE BODY IS CAPABLE OF ACTING ON A POINT ON THE ARM SO AS TO TURN THE ARM ABOUT ITS PIVOT AND STRESS THE SPRING AND THUS ARM THE STRIKER UNTIL THE ARM DISENGAGES FROM THE STOP MEANS AND RELEASES THE STRIKER.

Nav. 16, 1971 "J. RoBlNr-:T $519,927

MANULLYCONTROLLED FIRING MEANS Filed June 30, 1969 lill l psa xxx x United States Patent O 3,619,927 MANUALLY-CONTROLLED FIRING MEANS Jean Robinet, Toulouse, France, assignor to Etablissement Ruggieri, Paris, France Filed June 30, 1969, Ser. No. 837,449 Claims priority, application France, lIuly 2, 1968, 157,528 Int. Cl. F41c 3/02 U.S. Cl. 42-1 R 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Manually-controlled tiring means having a striker which is slidable in a body and capable of striking a primer under the effect of a spring. Stop means are provided on the striker and an arm pivoted to the body co-operates with the stop means for holding the striker `away from the primer. A lever pivoted to the body is capable of `acting on a point on the arm so as to turn the arm about its plvot and stress the spring and thus `arm the striker until the arm disengages from the stop means and releases the striker.

The present invention relates to manually-controlled firing means, in particular for pyrotechnic firework or signalling devices.

'Such tiring means are known which comprise, mounted at the lower end of a launching tube, a primer disposed in the vicinity of the device that it is desired to ignite, and a striker biased by a spring in the direction of the primer and normally retained away from said primer by suitable locking means. An vactuating cord or rod is connected to the striker and, to ignite the device, the user pulls on this cord and thus stresses the spring and arms the striker, then, upon release of the locking means, when the user releases the cord, the spring causes the striker to strike the primer which ignites the propellent means of the device. Such a firing means has certain drawbacks. First, it does not afford complete safety since the locking means could for some reason become disengaged which would produce a premature ignition of the primer, Further, the user can hold the launching tube only with one hand, the other being required for pulling on the pulling cord or rod and this results in lack of precision in the tiring.

Another `tiring means is known which also comprises a pull rod constituted for example by a brass wire which extends through a capsule containing a priming substance. When the user suddenly pulls on the brass wire the heat produced by the friction is suicient to ignite the primer substance contained in the capsule. The drawbacks of this device are roughly the same as those of the preceding device.

The object of the invention is to provide a tiring means for a pyrotechnic device for iireworks, signalling or some other application which does not have the aforementioned drawbacks of known devices.

The invention provides a manually-controlled firing means of the type comprising a primer, a striker mounted in a body so as to be slidable relative to said body in a path in which said primer is disposed, and elastically yieldable means biasing said striker towards said primer.

According to the invention, firing means of this type comprises stop or hooking means at the end of the striker remote from the primer, an arm pivoted at one end thereof to said body and co-operating at the other end with said stop means, a lever pivoted to said body and capable of acting at a point on said arm between said ends of said arm so as to turn said arm about its pivot point on said body and shift said striker in such direction that said elastically yieldable means is put under stress until said arm reaches a position in which said striker is armed and in rice which said arm is disengaged from said stop means and releases said striker.

According to another feature of the invention, in the storage position, the body is provided with a cover which is adapted to cover and hold the lever and the arm in a position in which said arm is engaged with the stop means, whereby the striker is held in a safe position.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are longitudinal sectional views of a tiring means according to the invention in three successive positions, and

FIG. 4 is a rview of the underside of said ring means in the position shown in FIG. 2.

A firing or igniting means according to the invention comprises a launching tube 1 in the rear part of which is mounted `a body 2 constructed, for example, of a moulded synthetic material.

The body 2 comprises an outer cylindrical portion 3 which is partially fitted at 3a in the tube 1, an end wall 4 provided with a passage 5 and a tubular inner cylindrical portion 6 extending into the tube 1. A cylindrical portion 3b of the body 2 located outside: the tube 1 comprises a recess 7 having -a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

An abutment projection -8 is provided on the inner wall defining the recess 7.

Secured in the forward part of the cylinder 6, that is, adjacent the inside of the tube 1, is a preferably tubular primer carrier 9 carrying a primer 10.

Slidable in the cylinder 6 and in the passage 5 is a striker 11 comprising a point 11a, `a zange 11b and a stern 11c which is reduced in its rear part 11U1 so as to provide a shoulder 12 constituting a stop or hooking means. The spring 13 is interposed between the end wall 4 of the body and the ange 11b of the striker.

An arm 14 and a lever 15 are pivotably mounted on a pin 16 extending across the recess 7.

The arm 14 has an end 14a which is chamfered and co-operates with the shoulder 12. The end 14a is biased against the abutment 8 by the action of the spring 13 (FIG. 1).

The lever 15 comprises two cranked branches 15a which are pivotably mounted on the pin 16 and interconnected at their ends lby an actuating lever 15b and a bar 15c respectively.

In the storage position, the 'body 2 is covered by a cover 17 which is held in the closing position by any suitable means such as an adhesive tape 18 (FIG. 1).

The firing means operates in the following manner:

In the position shown in FIG. l, the striker 11 is held in the safe position away from the primer 10 by the hooking of the arm 14 on the shoulder 12. As concerns the lever 15, it cannot be shifted since it is locked in position bythe cover 17.

In order to re the device to be ignited (not shown) which is disposed in the tube 1, the cover 17 is first removed and the lever 15 is turned in the -counterclockwise direction until the bar 15 bears against the arm 14 and shifts the latter and thus raises the striker to its armed position (FIG. 2). The chamfered end of the arm 14 allows this movement in the course of which the spring 13 is compressed.

In continuing to turn the lever 15, the arm 14 eventually disengages from the shoulder 12 and thus releases the striker whose point 11a strikes against the primer 10 (FIG. 3).

Owing to the position of the actuating lever and the short movement it must be made to undergo, the user can perfectly well hold the launching tube with both hands which affords higher precision in the tiring and also improved safety.

When assembling the device, the striker 11 is shifted through the agency of a rod in opposition to the action of the spring 13, the primer carrier not being in position. The arm 14 is placed on the abutment y8 and the lever 15 is placed in its position shown in FIG. 1 and then the striker is released so that the shoulder 12 bears against the arm 14.

It is only at this time that the primer `carrier and the primer 10 are placed on the cylinder 6 so that at no time during the assembly is the striker released in front of the primer or in contact with the latter. Further, during storage no effect of inertia is to be feared and there is complete safety.

It will be understood that the body 2 of the device can be constructed in several different ways for example in several parts instead of being moulded in a single piece. This body could furthermore have a different shape and the arm 14 and the lever 15 could also have dilerent shapes. Further, such a tiring means could be employed in applications other than that indicated, namely for ring rework or signalling devices.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A manually-controlled tiring means comprising in combination a body having a recess, a primer, a striker mounted in said body so as to be slidable relative to said body, elastically yieldable means biasing said striker in the direction of said primer, said striker being slidable 'between a position in which it strikes said primer and a loaded position in which said spring is compressed for subsequently throwing said striker against said primer, stop means integral with an end of said striker remote from said primer, an abutment portion on said body an arm mounted on said body to pivot from said abutment lportion relative to said body and in a direction away from said primer in engaged relation to said stop means so as to shift said striker to said loaded position after which said arm disengages from said stop means and releases said striker, said arm normally engaging said stop means and holding said striker away from said primer in said position of abutment, a lever pivoted to said body to be capable of moving between an inner position in which it is wholly within said recess and an outer position in which it extends partly outside said recess and is capable of acting on said arm so as to pivot said arm from said portion abutment to a position in which it disengages from said stop means, and a cover mounted on said body to cover said lever in said inner position in said recess and capable of being moved away from said recess to allow said lever to move to said outer position.

2. A tiring means as claimed in lclaim 1, wherein said stop means comprises a shoulder adjacent the end of said striker remote from said primer.

3. A firing means as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arm and said lever are pivotably mounted relative to said body on a common pivot pin.

l4. A tiring means as claimed in claim 1, wherein an end of said arm which is co-operable with said stop means is chamfered.

5. A tiring means as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lever comprises two parallel branches which are mounted on a lpin to be pivotable relative to said body, said branches being interconnected at one end thereof by a portion constituting an actuating member and at another end of said branches by a bar which is a part of said lever capable of acting on said arm.

v6. A ring means as claimed in claim 5, wherein said brances of said lever are cranked.

7. A tiring means as claimed in claim S, wherein said lever comprises a free space between said pin on which said branches of said lever are pivoted and said portion constituting an actuating member which has a length exceeding the length of the part of said arm located between said pin and said end of said arm which is cooperable with said stop means.

8. A firing means as claimed in claim 5, wherein said bar is at a distance from said pin which is less than the length of the part of said arm located between said pin and said end of said arm which is co-operable with said stop means.

9. A ring means as claimed in claim 1, wherein said body comprises a cylindrical outer portion adapted to be partly fitted in a support tube, an end wall from which a tubular inner cylinder extends into said tube, said recess extending transversely of a portion of said cylindrical outer portion which is located outside said support tube, said end wall having an axial passage for the passage of said striker and said abutment portion extending into said recess.

10. A firing means as claimed in claim 9, wherein said inner tubular cylinder is adapted to carry a primer carrier at its free end.

11. A ring means as claimed in claim 1, wherein said striker comprises a flange and said elastically yieldable means is interposed between a wall of said body and said flange.

12. A tiring means as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stop means, said lever and said arm are all located in said recess in said inner position of said lever and in said abutment position of said arm and said cover is detachably mounted on said lbody.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,067,004 7/1913 Decker 42-59 2,454,528 11/1948 Temple 89--1.0l X 2,888,768 6/1959 Taylor 42-1 L 3,270,455 9/1966 Smernoff et al. 42-1 L SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner Us. LC1. XR. 

